


Ember Island Players

by yourmothersmeatloaf



Series: Pigs on the Wing [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M, Really really slow burn, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:20:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25891225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourmothersmeatloaf/pseuds/yourmothersmeatloaf
Summary: Centered around the episode Ember Island Players, but after some constructive criticism, it's less stuck to the exact plot:)Aang and Zuko are just trying to figure their awkward dynamic out
Relationships: Aang/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Pigs on the Wing [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823776
Comments: 5
Kudos: 63





	Ember Island Players

Aang and Zuko were out in the courtyard of the Fire Lord’s own summer home practicing firebending. Aang was actually keeping up perfectly to Zuko’s stride and felt an almost overwhelming amount of pride for a moment. As they finished their routine they both settled into a centred post with their hands in front of their chests, letting out an exhale. They allowed the adrenaline and tension run out of their bodies.  
Zuko had been teaching Aang fire bending and Aang had been teaching Zuko about mindfulness and spirituality. He hoped it helped the older boy manage his emotions better, but had only noticed a change some of the time.They bowed to each other and Zuko began walking away, stretching his limbs. Toph and Katara were lounging off to the side, watching. Katara looked around the scenery and turned to Toph.  
“Doesn’t it seem kinda weird that we’re hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?”  
“I told you, my father hasn’t come here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago,” Zuko gave her a grave look. “It’s the last place anyone would think to look for us.” He sat on the edge of a dried up fountain, drying the sweat off of him with an old towel. Just then Sokka ran into the courtyard with a rolled up paper and Suki close behind.  
“You guys are never going to believe this!” He exclaimed. “There’s a play about us.”  
“We were just in town and he found this poster,” Suki matched Sokka’s enthusiasm.  
Sokka held up the poster for the rest of the group to see which they all examined closely.  
“What?” Katara asked. “How is that possible?”  
“Listen to this,” Sokka continued. “The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu-on Tim, who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar, from the icy South POle to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage.”  
“Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players,” Suki finished.  
The group all looked to each other, unsure of what to think. Zuko pulled into himself for a moment, apparently recalling something of great disgust.  
“Ugh!” He exclaimed, “My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every year!”  
They all looked at him, surprised. They were unused to him talking about his mother in such a nonchalant fashion. Katara then turned back to her brother as they all silently decided to ignore it.  
“Sokka, do you really think it’s a good idea to attend a play about ourselves?”  
“Come on! A day at the theater? This is the kind of wacky time-wasting nonsense I’ve been missing!” He held up the poster again, sheepishly hoping he was convincing enough. Katara looked away, showing her brother his attempt at persuasion was not great.

-

She wasn’t sure how it happened but Katara found herself at the theatre with the rest of them. She hoped their fire nation costumes were good enough of a disguise. She sat next to Toph on the bench and as Aang was about to slide in on her other side, Zuko got between them. Aang pointed to where Zuko was sitting.  
“Hey, uh… I wanted to sit there,” he tried not to betray his real emotion.  
This irritated Zuko, he wasn’t stupid. He knew how Aang felt. What he, himself felt, though was less clear. All he knew at that moment was he wanted to not watch Aang try to make his moves on Katara.  
“Just sit next to me, what’s the big deal?” Zuko rolled his eyes.  
Aang didn’t understand why Zuko was being so hostile and felt a small burst of anger rumble through him.  
“I was just. I wanted to--” He let the anger go and sat beside Zuko. “Okay.”  
Zuko let himself smile on the inside. Thank goodness he didn’t have to watch any feeble attempts at flirtation. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much. He told himself it was just pathetic and they had much more important stuff going on. That didn’t sit quite right but it was the story he was sticking with.  
The lights dimmed and the show began.

-

“So far this intermission is the best part of the play,” Zuko scowled.  
All of their group, save for Toph, were outraged and dismayed by the portrayals of their character. Toph kept claiming it was because they were so accurate and the teenagers couldn’t accept the truth. Internally, though, they all knew it was true to some extent and Toph was right.  
Zuko in particular felt very horrible and sad, especially when his actor would abuse and insult the actor portraying his uncle. That was the hardest truth to swallow. Aang noticed his friend’s discomfort whenever it happened and felt a weird urge to comfort him, though he knew any attempt he could make would not be well received so he just didn’t try. Aang watched Zuko on the stairs and considered if he should say anything at all about it. But he had his own criticisms too! Why on earth was he being played by a woman? He became very vocal about it.  
They all discussed their issues with their characters, looking for some form of comfort in each other. Whenever Aang yelled about not being a woman and how he was, in fact, a boy, Zuko couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. It was odd watching him get angry over something so trivial. He was very careful not to let Aang see, of course.

-

After the actor Azula shot Aang down and presumably killed him, Aang walked out of the theatre. No one paid too much mind, as they were engrossed in the stage. Then the second intermission rolled around and Katara looked over.  
“Does anyone know where Aang is?”  
Zuko looked over, surprised he hadn’t noticed he hadn’t come back for so long.  
“He left to go get me fire gummies, like, ten minutes ago. And I’m still waiting!” Sokka answered.  
“I’ll go check outside,” Zuko stood.  
Aang was leaning against a balcony staring out at the dark sky and water. Zuko approached slowly, but tried to make enough noise that Aang would know he was there.  
“What’s wrong?” Zuko cringed at his blunt tone. Oops.  
“No, I’m not! I hate this play!” Aang yanked his hat off and threw it at the ground. This shocked Zuko, never seeing such an unbalanced and vulnerable reaction from him.  
“Hey, isn’t that a bit of an overreaction?”  
“Overreaction?” He was incredulous. “If I hadn’t blocked my chakra, I’d be in the Avatar State right now!” Zuko looked down and sighed softly. He leaned on the balcony beside Aang.  
“Did Katara really mean what she said in there?” Aang asked. He didn’t really feel comfortable speaking to Zuko about such things, but the cat was already out of the bag.  
“What are you talking about? She hasn’t talked to you since last intermission. I think I would’ve heard it, seeing as I was between you.”  
“On stage, when she said I was just like a brother to her, and she didn’t have feelings for me.”  
“Aang, an actor said that. Not her.” His voice was stilted.  
“But it’s true, isn’t it? We kissed at the invasion,” this made Zuko’s stomach turn, “and I thought we were going to be together.”  
“I don’t know what to tell you.”  
Aang looked away, clearly angry and annoyed. Zuko choked back how he felt and strained on. Why did this conversation make him so uncomfortable?  
“Listen, Aang, we’re in the middle of a war. Don’t we have more important things to worry about?”  
Aang looked a little bit stung by this. He really felt like Zuko was invalidating his feelings.  
“You know? I don’t know why I thought I’d talk to you about this,” Aang sighed. “Our relationship just isn’t like that.” He began walking away and at the last second Zuko caught him by the wrist.  
“Wait, I’m sorry. I’ll try.”  
Aang sighed and reluctantly agreed to stay. He looked down to where Zuko’s hand remained around his wrist. Zuko followed his gaze and also looked down, they stared for a moment and he slowly let go.  
“I--” Zuko began. He didn’t know what to say and he didn’t know why that moment was so awkward. Aang just kept staring at Zuko’s hand. Zuko was frozen, everything felt so weird. What was going on?  
Aang put his hand out, still staring at Zuko’s hand. Zuko slowly raised his hand, unsure, and placed his downturned palm onto Aang’s. Aang’s fingers clasped around Zuko’s hand.  
“Is this...what you wanted?” He was so confused. Aang nodded. “Why?”  
Aang just shrugged, while still staring at their hands. “Just wanted to see something.”  
“What?” Zuko asked slowly.  
“I’m...not sure, if I’m being honest with you,” he dropped his hand from under Zuko’s. “Well, I’m, uh, gonna go back in there now.”  
Aang turned to walk back in and got almost to the door before Zuko caught back up with reality.  
“Wait, don’t you want to talk about what was bothering you?” He shouted after the boy.  
“No, thank you! I think I’ve got it all figured out,” Aang gave a half smile before disappearing inside. Zuko let out a frustrated sigh and leaned his elbows back on the balcony.  
“What was that?” He grunted, annoyed.  
He let the cool air hit his face for a few more minutes before heading back in. This time, he sat beside Sokka and Suki.

-

After the play ended the group all conjugated back together and began walking back to the Fire Lord’s summer home. The end of the play was bleak, to say the least. The Ember Island Players depicted to future as one where Aang and Zuko perished and the Fire Nation prevailed and won the war. Maybe the most disturbing part of all was the sheer amount of applause they’d received. They all walked with some distance between each other, in contemplative silence.  
“That...wasn’t a good play,” Zuko remarked.  
“I’ll say,” Aang agreed.  
“No kidding,” Katara said.  
“Horrible,” Suki said.  
“You said it,” said Toph.  
There was a moment of silence until Sokka broke it, “But the effects were decent!”  
Zuko couldn’t help but roll his eyes. It really wasn’t a moment for optimism, but he honestly wasn’t convinced Sokka was capable of taking anything seriously until it happened before him.  
Upon arrival at their current hideout, they all said their goodnights and parted ways. Zuko was about to walk inside before he noticed Aang sit on the front deck, staring out at the water. He couldn’t decide if it was a good move or not to sit next to him, but before he could think too hard on it he was already cross legged beside Aang.  
For a moment, there was silence. They stared out at the water, their breathing falling into pace with each other.  
“It can’t happen like that, Zuko,” Aang said.  
“Of course not. And it won’t. That was just Fire Nation propaganda.”  
“When I saw that Guru who taught me how to open my chakras, he explained I cannot hold onto fear. I just don’t understand how to let go of this fear, especially when having that fear will lead to my chakra closing and that adds so much more pressure. It’s all I can do to keep that anxiety pushed away. I just feel so...plugged up.” At the end of what he was saying he’d turned to make eye contact with Zuko. It was such an honest confession that Zuko was honestly taken aback, and didn’t really know how to respond.  
“Oh, um…” he started. “Do you want to meditate?”  
Aang seemed surprised that Zuko would actually offer without being reminded. He nodded and shared a smile with Zuko. They turned towards each other, got into position and closed their eyes. Aang guided them quietly, his voice no louder than a soft breath, leading them from the root chakra up to the heart. When he reached the heart, he no longer felt certain on how to proceed. The cerebral feeling he’d built inside of himself disappeared and he opened his eyes. He was met with Zuko’s amber eyes questioning him.  
“I thought you had it all worked out?” Zuko asked and for once without judgement in his voice. Aang looked away and sighed.  
“I’m trying,” he said. Zuko nodded and did not push him any further. If he wanted to talk, he would. He sat with his hands on his knees, just staying in silence for awhile with Aang. Then something came over him, maybe it was his meditative state but it seemed clear to him what he had to do- just not why.  
Zuko reached his hand out much as Aang did earlier and once Aang noticed he reached his hand out hesitantly and placed his palm on Zuko’s upturned palm. Zuko clasped Aang’s hand in his own. They both sat there in silence, watching their hands in front of them. Aang felt his meditative state coming back on and silently asked to repeat their stance with their other hand as well. As they both fell back into their meditative states, their eyes slid shut and Zuko’s fingers loosened their grip.  
They remained there for who knows how long, letting thoughts come and go and things didn’t feel so sticky anymore for Aang.  
“Hey, uh, are you guys alright,” Sokka’s voice came awkwardly from the direction of the house.  
Aang and Zuko startled back away from each other.  
“Uh, yeah, why wouldn’t we be?” Zuko stuttered.  
“Because you’ve been out here for actually hours?” Sokka sounded like he had more to say but chose not to. Zuko and Aang looked at each other for a moment before Zuko stood.  
“I was just heading to bed,” he said coolly and pushed by Sokka.  
Things felt clear to him now, but he didn’t want to accept it. He couldn’t have feelings for Aang. He was so young, they had such a bad history. It just couldn’t be happening. He slumped down into his bed and faced the wall, trying to block out the thoughts, finding he just couldn’t.  
Meanwhile out on the porch, Aang watched after Zuko as he left, leaving behind negative energy. It stung, he’d admit. But what was he to do? He sighed and slumped his head on his hands. Sokka sat next to him.  
“What’s up with him?” He asked. Aang looked at him for a moment, and was about to open his mouth to speak. Before the words could leave him, though, he felt a rush of negativity he usually associated with Katara- he had no chance with Zuko so there was no point in manifesting those feelings by acknowledging them out loud.  
“Nothing. Goodnight, Sokka,” Aang got up and walked back into the house. Sokka blinked, startled by the short response.  
“What’s up with him?” He asked himself.  
Aang walked to his room, which was across the hall from Zuko’s. He hesitated before entering his room, then turned to Zuko’s door. He reached his hand out to the knob, hesitating before actually making contact when he heard someone stir in one of the rooms down the hall. He hastily turned back towards his own room and entered, before sitting on the bed. He sighed to himself and held his head in his hands. He threw himself back and let the thoughts consume him until he fell asleep.

-

He figured he was the last to fall asleep and also the first to wake in the morning. He sighed and tried to fall back asleep to no avail. He groaned and went down to the kitchen, looking for some kind of fruit. He grabbed an apple and turned and almost walked directly into Zuko. So, maybe he wasn’t the first to wake, then. Zuko was dressed in a loose tunic, drying his hair with a towel. Aang felt all the blood in his face drain as his airbending kicked reflexively and he took a very large step back. Too large, in fact, as he was shorted a few feet by hitting a counter. He tried regaining his balance and ended up throwing his apple at Zuko in the process.  
Smooth, Aang congratulated himself. Now Zuko will never know you were freaked out!  
“Whoa, what’s your problem?” Zuko asked, bending to pick up the apple.  
“Nothing is my problem, why would you think I have a problem?” He laughed as he passed Zuko who was holding out the apple for him. “You are...you are too funny, Zuko.”  
As Aang left the room, Zuko watched perplexed, still holding out the apple even long after the other boy was gone. He cleared his throat, looked at the apple before placing it on the counter and making some tea.  
He poured two cups and brought the other out to the porch where he had a feeling he’d find Aang. He was right, Aang was sitting staring out at the water. Zuko sat next to Aang and noticed his body tense. Before Zuko could speak Aang pointed at something in the distance.  
“Hey! Look at that over there! I definitely have to go check that out!”  
Within half a second Aang was gone. Zuko was still holding the tea out to where he was.  
“I made you some tea,” Zuko said to Aang’s smoke figure he left behind.  
“Hey, thanks Zuko!” Sokka said as he sat where Aang was, taking the tea from him. Zuko looked up and the rest of the group was out there, too.  
“Where’d Aang go?” Katara asked, shielding her vision from the sun.  
“Oh, he saw a….something,” Zuko answered.  
“Wow, helpful, thanks!” Toph laughed.  
“Yeah! Certainly hope you listen to us better than you seem to listen to Aang,” Suki chuckled.  
“I was listening!” Zuko snapped. “He just didn’t say.” The rest of the group stared at him for a second.  
“O...kay, then,” Sokka said. “Well, when’s he coming back?”  
“How am I supposed to know?” Zuko began storming off tipping his tea in the process, “Leave me alone!”  
“Is it just me or is he angrier than normal?” Toph asked.  
“I don’t know...It seemed pretty on brand to me,” Suki said.

-

Later that evening, when Aang still hadn’t returned, Zuko decided to wait for him in his room. He went in and sat cross legged and began to wait.  
When Aang walked back up the beach, he gazed at the house and noticed all the lights were out and he decided he was at low risk for running into Zuko. He began making his way upstairs. He took very light steps, careful to not apply enough pressure anywhere to make the floors creak. He turned the doorknob to his room and entered, staring down Zuko’s door. He was probably asleep in there. He closed the door very gently and let out a breath as he turned back to face the room. Then he saw Zuko. Sprawled out ungracefully across his bed, snoring softly. Aang had a large comical reaction to that, but shockingly managed to stay silent. He approached the bed and gazed down at Zuko. He reached out and moved a section of hair off of his pale skin, exposing unscarred flesh. His cheek was slightly flushed. The peaceful aura was a good look on him, Aang decided. He felt calm rush over him.  
He sat on the floor beside the bed and began meditating.  
At some point during the night Aang must’ve fallen asleep. He was woken up by a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and turned to be confronted by Zuko. He was laying horizontally across the bed, slightly leaning off the edge to get a better view of Aang. They made eye contact seemingly to figure something out. In that moment, Aang understood.  
“Hey, uh, Aang...I think we need to talk.” Zuko said awkwardly.  
Aang turned his full body to get a better angle at Zuko.  
“I really don’t think we do, Zuko,” he responded. Zuko looked taken aback. Aang simply leaned forward and kissed Zuko’s forehead. “I think you know everything you need to. Come have some breakfast.” He smiled.  
Zuko stared after Aang in shock as he left the room. His hand covered where his lips had made contact on his forehead. He really doubted he knew everything he needed to because he felt more lost than ever. He slowly stood to follow Aang to the kitchen, hand all the while over the centre of his forehead.


End file.
